Family, pals mourn fallen Lansdale Marine

That's how friends and family remembered the 22-year-old Marine reservist from Lansdale on Friday as they mourned the loss of the lance corporal who died Tuesday in Kuwait.

Maglione went out of his way to make everyone laugh and keep smiles on the faces of his core group of five friends.

"He'd make an idiot of himself at the bar," said one of those friends, Nick Bilotti. "He'd dance goofy. He didn't care what anybody else said, just his buddies."

He partially hid this wild side from his mother.

"Apparently, he was a lot more lively with them than with me," Rosemary Corr said with a smile at her Lansdale home, where she was supported by family and a procession of friends and well-wishers.

Maglione, a North Penn High School graduate and architectural engineering student at Drexel University, served with Bridge Company B, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, based in Folsom, Delaware County.

He was called to active duty March 7 and stationed at Camp Pendleton in California before being deployed to Kuwait.

Corr said her son was found dead Tuesday in his tent at Camp Coyote. The Defense Department said his death was caused by a "noncombat weapon discharge" and remains under investigation.The department released no new information and may not for several days, said Maj. Brad Bartelt, military spokesman from Central Command at Camp As-Sayliyah just outside Doha, Qatar.

"Typically, until investigations are complete, specifics will not come out," Bartelt said. "We try to find: Were there things that could have been done to prevent the incident or accident?"

Corr has received little information. She was told her son's body will be returned to her in two to seven days.

Military personnel said Maglione's body was flown back Friday but first would be examined at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

His mother plans for services to be held at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in New Britain Township.

"Joseph and I loved it there," Corr said.

Her son also loved playing chess, drums and bongos. He also loved the ladies, Bilotti said.

"We'd hang out at bars all the time, pick up women and whatnot," he said. "He'd just be goofy and make them laugh. He was good at making people laugh."